Since the other BDB thread was locked, I was hoping to start a new discussion for owners of this machine.

An update on my OPV adjusted replacement machine: It's on it's way from Breville USA. They ship just the machine itself, no accessories, water tank, drip tray etc... They send the replacements 2 day air and provide you a FedEx return label for your old machine. They remove the $250 authorization from your credit card once they receive your old machine at Breville. You are never without a machine and your warranty remains intact. So far, I'm impressed with their customer service.

After 3 days I'm getting my shots dialed in a little more consistently. Having a calibrated OPV will help get things dialed in a little closer. BTW, I absolutely love the auto power on in the mornings! I walk up to the machine in the morning, machine warm, cups warm, grind beans and go... I know you can do this with most machines with an external timer, but this is the first time I've had the pleasure... really nice...

I HATE the tapered baskets! The tamper is forced to stop against the sides of the basket as it narrows so proper dosing is critical to getting a good tamp. Does anyone know of any straight wall baskets (double/triple) that will fit our portafilters?

It would be great if we could keep this thread civil. Personally, I'm interested in getting the most out of this machine and this forum provides an excellent vehicle for the purpose... In the end, it's all about the cuppa!

Congrats on a new machine. I know I enjoy having my timer turn my machine on every morning, no time wasted, no waiting for the machine to warm up, well except for when I turn the main switch on the machine off for some reason, it does not happen much but when it does, what a pain!

I am waiting for my turn with the road trip BDB and I truly hope it is worthy of the hype and fuss it is making. In the past, my dealings with that manufacturer have been less than satisfying. I am cautiously optimistic about this machine but only hands on with it will tell.

It is too bad about those other threads about this machine that turned into I say, You say. I know I received a sideways insult and I am trying to be optimistic about this machine!

So far, it looks like B is supporting this machine and taking care of their mistakes, that is encouraging, and I hope it continues.

Is the PF a standard 58mm so the baskets can be swapped out for straight sided ones or are you locked into what the maker supplies? I know you basically asked the same question but as you have had a good machine before and know what standard 58mm PFs look like and have the BDB in your hands, what do you think?

In real life, my name isWayne P.Anything I post is personal opinion and is only worth as much as anyone else's personal opinion. YMMV!

Other than the fact that it appears to be a solid chunk of stainless steel, it looks just like my E61 portafilter from the Giotto. I would think it would accept just about any basket... I'm hoping someone who has tried this will speak up... I did remove the plastic insert inside the portafilter... I have no idea what purpose the insert served, but with it removed, it may be able to take a triple basket...

Is the PF a standard 58mm so the baskets can be swapped out for straight sided ones or are you locked into what the maker supplies? I know you basically asked the same question but as you have had a good machine before and know what standard 58mm PFs look like and have the BDB in your hands, what do you think?

As I understand it, the pf is 58mm and will fit other, straight-walled, baskets, including deeper ones (once the black plastic do-hicky is removed). I think I read it will even fit some, but not all, triples. I've ordered an 18g VST which should arrive this week. According to accounts on CS it should fit fine. I'll report back.

Thanks for setting up this thread. It was so painful before to read through the back and forth commentary.

I have been a long time lurker and am finally upgrading my current Super-Auto setup to a Semi- Auto. I am getting the BDB soon and want to learn from the trials of others. Once I am an owner and get comfortable, I hope I can contribute.

I'm also interested in the basket options to use with the BDB portafilter. I might have to buy some new 'items' to have as soon as the BDB gets here.

Before my Super, I owned a very sad and cumbersome Semi-Auto but have grown bored of the espresso my Super is making.

- First two things a BDB owner should do is remove plastic insert from the portafilter and adjust OPV. Adjustment instructions posted on Nik's site are excellent, turning the valve 1.5 to 1.25 counter-clockwise turns will calibrate OPV to desired pressure range.

- While portafilter is 58mm, traditional portafilters from the likes of Silvia will not fit... thus no bottomless available so far, but given BDB's typical demographics, this should have been a must from the get go. They will probably go for $100 when they finally show up.

- Triple basket definitely will not fit into provided portafilter, but should fit once bottomless comes to the market.

- If you unplug the machine timer resets, which is a downer. Vario had the same issue in its first run, which was addressed in subsequent update a year later. Not sure why Breville couldn't include a basic memory unit to retain this and other settings.

- While machine has some quality components, especially in electronics department, it has a plastic frame and a cheapish looking grouphead. I guess that was to be expected given its price, so don't expect built-like-a-tank construction here. I wouldn't form any conclusions regarding its durability based on this observation though, only time and usage will.

- Finally, yes, espresso produced is indeed excellent! Very happy so far.

Other than the fact that it appears to be a solid chunk of stainless steel, it looks just like my E61 portafilter from the Giotto. I would think it would accept just about any basket... I'm hoping someone who has tried this will speak up... I did remove the plastic insert inside the portafilter... I have no idea what purpose the insert served, but with it removed, it may be able to take a triple basket...

How did you remove the insert? I tried using a chopstick for leverage to unscrew the spouts, but broke it :). Maybe a screwdriver would work better...

I can confirm that the VST 18g basket fits just fine (even with the plastic!). This is my first dual boiler machine and I've only had it since last night, but so far so good! Super easy to make great microfoam, and the espresso so far has been awesome. I am coming from a PID'ed Gaggia Classic with the Silvia steam wand, which I had tuned pretty well and was really in sync with, but the Breville is just effortless so far. Really enjoying extracting espresso at the same time as texturing milk.

My OPV is one that hasn't been calibrated. I extract around 12 bar so far. I'm planning on just opening it up and adjusting it myself, looks easier than when I had to do it on the Gaggia, and it has a built-in gauge to boot! The taste of the espresso was fine with the higher pressure, but I am a bit anal about this stuff (as evidenced by being a CoffeeGeek member :))

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